Centers and Institutes

The Institute for Brain Science promotes the collaborative, theoretical, and experimental study of the brain from the molecular to the behavioral and cognitive level. Faculty from 11 life and physical science departments address the fundamental issues in brain science, including how we see, learn, remember, interact, communicate, as well as how to repair damaged brains and crack the neural code.

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Brown University is one of a nationwide network of MRSECs sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The current MRSEC research is focused on Micro- and Nano- Mechanics of Materials. The goals of the center are to 1) perform leading edge research in the mechanics of materials on multiple length scales down to the nano-scale and apply principles of solid mechanics to cell adhesion and other biological problems; 2) use the faculty and university resources to achieve broader impact in the areas of science education, technology transfer, human resource development and creation of a more diverse scientific community.

The goal of the Center for Advanced Materials Research is to coordinate and facilitate research and education in materials sciences across the campus, as well as to foster inter-institutional scholarship and study of modern materials by advanced experimental and theoretical tools. The Center is presently anchored within several engineering disciplines, and the departments of physics and chemistry at Brown, with developing links to biology and biomedical sciences. CAMR is the home to the NSF MRSEC on the "Micro-and Nanomechanics of Materials" and the General Motors Brown University Collaborative Laboratory on Computational Materials Science.

The Center for Biomedical Engineering is a joint program of the School of Engineering and the Division of Biology and Medicine. Biomedical engineering creates new knowledge and improves human health through cross-disciplinary research and educational activities that integrate the engineering and physical sciences with the life sciences and clinical practice.

Fluids at Brown (formerly known as the Center for Fluid Mechanics, Turbulence and Computation) was founded to promote research in fluid mechanics, the study of turbulent flows and transition phenomena, the use of scientific computation in fluid mechanics research, and topics of related scientific interest.

IMNI promotes and coordinates multidisciplinary research and education in the molecular and nanosciences at Brown. Our Institute is unique in its breadth and holistic approach; our faculty span nine departments in the physical, life, and social sciences and their interests span fundamental phenomena, technologies, and the environmental health and societal impacts of nanotechnology.

The Superfund Research Program (SRP) Center at Brown University, titled Reuse in RI: A State-Based Approach To Complex Exposures embodies the key elements that guide us — the focus is on mixed exposures, taking a state-based approach to environmental health research, technology development, and contaminated land re-use with Rhode Island as our laboratory. Together with our team members from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), we work to expand the understanding of the human health consequences and management of contaminated sites in Rhode Island and other post-industrial states.